A computer is anything that can compute. An abacus is basically a mechanical computer. An mechanical adding machine is a computer. It is just that they have evolved into electrical things because electricity is faster than gears and such. So now when you are buying a computer, you are basically buying a chip that has zillions of circuits in it so that electrons can filter their way down a decision tree to arrive at some bit of information. Very fast. All the rest of the hardware is just to optimize and provide input and output mechanisms.

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Angela Jessi
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Joined: Nov 27, 2000
Posts: 428

posted Jul 12, 2001 12:41:00

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what is meaning of term computer shareware? Thanks Angela

Originally posted by Cindy Glass:A computer is anything that can compute. An abacus is basically a mechanical computer. An mechanical adding machine is a computer. It is just that they have evolved into electrical things because electricity is faster than gears and such. So now when you are buying a computer, you are basically buying a chip that has zillions of circuits in it so that electrons can filter their way down a decision tree to arrive at some bit of information. Very fast. All the rest of the hardware is just to optimize and provide input and output mechanisms.

Is this an attempt at humor? What is this thing called milk and why is it white? On another note, there are not zillions of circuits on a computer chip. There are millions of transistors. Couldnt help but point that out, sorry.

Andy Ceponis
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Joined: Dec 20, 2000
Posts: 782

posted Jul 12, 2001 14:14:00

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lol Jake

Cindy Glass
"The Hood"
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Joined: Sep 29, 2000
Posts: 8521

posted Jul 12, 2001 15:26:00

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www.dictionary.com (you can do this Angela) share�ware (sh�rw�r) n. Copyrighted software that is available free of charge on a trial basis, usually with the condition that users pay a fee for continued use and support.

shareware n : software that has been copyrighted but is sold to users with permission to copy it and give it to others

Found 4 entries for shareware. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

share�ware (sh�rw�r) n. Copyrighted software that is available free of charge on a trial basis, usually with the condition that users pay a fee for continued use and support.

Source: The American Heritage� Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright � 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

shareware n : software that has been copyrighted but is sold to users with permission to copy it and give it to others

shareware <software> /sheir'weir/ Freeware for which the author requests some payment, usually in the accompanying documentation files or in an announcement made by the software itself. Such payment may buy additional support, documentation or functionality. See also careware, charityware, crippleware, guiltware, nagware, postcardware, and -ware; compare payware. The Conception of Shareware (http://www.halcyon.com/knopf/history.htm).

shareware /sheir'weir/ n. A kind of freeware (sense 1) for which the author requests some payment, usually in the accompanying documentation files or in an announcement made by the software itself. Such payment may or may not buy additional support or functionality. See also careware, charityware, crippleware, FRS, guiltware, postcardware, and -ware; compare payware.

I'm glad at least Cindy could see that Angela may actually not know the answers to these questions. It is possible you know. I'm sure there was a point in all of your lives when none of you knew the answers to those questions. Be nice Angela I hope you feel you can still come here for answers to your questions.

Pounding at a thick stone wall won't move it, sometimes, you need to step back to see the way around.

I'd just like to say I can remember a student who made it to the end of second year University (ummm, US=college?) without knowing what a 'bit' or 'byte' was... Never underestimate the ability of life to astound... Dave (woot, I almost sound philisophical)

David, you don't mention which subject the student was studying. I hope it wasn't computer sciences . I am sure there are many very well educated people who don't know what a bit or a byte is, for the simple reason that there are other interesting things in life besides computers. Of course it is hard to get out of using a computer these days, but you don't need to know exactly how it works to be able to use it. I am perfectly able to drive a car but I haven't a clue as to how it works and frankly, I couldn't care less. I am sure you have all seen techies try to explain something about a computer to non-techies and fail miserably. They (the techies) simply cannot imagine what it's like not to know these things. Thank goodness, not ALL techies are like that, because then they'd be a dying breed. Someone will have to educate some non-techies so there will more techies, if you see what I mean. As Angela (Poynton, not Jessi) so rightly pointed out, there was a point in all of our lives when we didn't know what a byte was. In fact, I reached maturity way before I found out what a byte was, or a decision tree, or shareware or what-have-you. Sorry for ranting, but it drives me crazy when people are being picked on for asking questions.